Quick survey, for all number crunchers and math-heads!

[moribundman]

Do you use


1. Decimal points? -- 3601.5

2. Decimal commas? -- 3,601.5

3. The SI system? -- 3 601.5/3 601,5


SI, comma variant version here!

 

[Pablo]

1/2. but commas only for 10,000.00 and above. (no comma as in 9999.99)

I honestly think comma for decimal point is REALLY stupid and messed and confusing......but I'm a caveman redneck Neanderthal.

 

[chas3]

having a comma and a period in a number is confusing. use scientific notation.

 

[kenw]

decimals with commas at 5 places or more. IOW, 3601.5 but 13,601.5 for clarity.

30 years as an engineer, fwiw.

In some places, mostly europe, you'll see 3601,5

Talk about confusing...

 

[kenw]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chas3:
having a comma and a period in a number is confusing. use scientific notation.

---

so how do you get away from periods in SN? SN only has one place to the left of the decimal.

 

[Bill]

quoted by Ken

quote:

---

In some places, mostly europe, you'll see 3601,5

Talk about confusing...

---

I agree, I work with people in the states and in Europe, the Europeans use commas for decimals all the time, very confusing

 

[Shannow]

3,601.5

 

[Rick in PA]

36.015 picowhatevers

3.6015 milliwhatevers

360.15 kilowhatevers

36.015 terawhatevers

I don't need no stinkin' comma!

 

[chas3]

quote:

---

Originally posted by kenw:

quote:

---

Originally posted by chas3:
having a comma and a period in a number is confusing. use scientific notation.

---

so how do you get away from periods in SN? SN only has one place to the left of the decimal.

---

exactly. it doesnt have both commas and periods. if you see a comma or a period you know what it means (and there is only one position for it anyway).

 

[TallPaul]

Generally four digits, no comma. Five digits and up get commas. Should abolish commas as a decimal point.

Always lead a decimal with a zero left of the decimal point. Caught wife writing ".347" and told her that the zero is needed on the left side or the decimal point could be overlooked.

Do you count to ten:

A) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
or
B) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

One book I read said that a mathematician will go with A.

I suppose "count to ten" could start anywhere. Who said you had to go up. Could just as well go:

19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

All right, all right, I'll go away now.

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

Scientific notation.

It's the only way you can keep the number of significant figures straight.

 

[chas3]

what's the old joke? how does a computer scientist count to ten? 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2...

 

[labman]

There are 10 kinds of people, those than understand binary, and those that don't.

Seriously, the world used to be a bigger place, and developed different ways of doing things. What you aren't used to is always confusing. On the other hand, only the pointy haired use decimals points in telehone numbers, 888.555.1212.

 

[tweeker43]

hey, labman, i use decimal points in dates and phone numbers, and i have no hair at all!

no comma up to 9999, comma beyond that.

we had so many foreign teaching assistants in college that you get used to translating all types of weirdness.

things like:

3.14
3,14
3'14

expressions like zed or nought for zero.

dates with month first or day first.

it's just numbers.

 

[Rick in PA]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TallPaul:
Generally four digits, no comma. Five digits and up get commas. Should abolish commas as a decimal point.

Always lead a decimal with a zero left of the decimal point. Caught wife writing ".347" and told her that the zero is needed on the left side or the decimal point could be overlooked.

Do you count to ten:

A) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
or
B) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

One book I read said that a mathematician will go with A....

---

But wouldn't that be counting to 11?

 

[labman]

Less likely a mathematician than a computer programer.

I have decided since most of the world puts the day before the month, I will too this millemium, 23apr05.

 

[kenw]

actually, the bulk of the world WRITES 23-04-06. But SAYS April 23, 2005 (or however you say April in whatever language..)

 

[Shannow]

quote:

---

Originally posted by tweeker43:
things like:

3.14
3,14
3'14

---

way to go with leaving off the last infinity numbers.

 

[TallPaul]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Rick in PA:

quote:

---

Originally posted by TallPaul:
Do you count to ten:

A) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
or
B) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

One book I read said that a mathematician will go with A....

---

But wouldn't that be counting to 11?

---

Only if zero is something and we are counting eleven (items), not counting to ten.

So long as I count evenly (in 2's, 5's, etc.) and in the same direction, what matter how many counts I accumulate getting to 10. I am taking the word "to" in the sense of go to New York City. There are infinite ways to get there if you consider every possible combination of routes and can change a route by looping through a drugstore parking lot. How is this for counting "to" ten in ten increments:

-8, -6, -4, -2, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

Now if instead of "count to ten" we say "count ten," then I could go A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J or I could go (say we were counting cars passing by and already had counted 47 since the top of the hour):

48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57.

That is counting ten too. So to be precise, the sequence:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

should be requested as "count ten increments from one to ten." Well that example only has nine increments as we lstarted from one, but I believe we imply starting from zero in such counting.

 

[tom slick]

quote:

---

Do you count to ten:

A) 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
or
B) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

One book I read said that a mathematician will go with A.

---

It all depends if you are counting in "whole" or "natural" numbers